The other frogs heard and came swimming all about,—­little and big, young and old; but when they saw poor Froggy caught fast, instead of trying to free him, they began peeping and croaking and “kerchugging,” until such a noise went up from the pond as was never heard before.

The little frogs all sat around in a little circle, crying in their little shrill voices:  “Oh-he’ll-die!  Oh-he’ll-die!  Oh-he’ll-die!”

And the great frogs all sat around in a great circle, croaking in their great hoarse voices:  “Oh-he’ll-drown!  Oh-he’ll-drown!  Oh-he’ll-drown!”

“Help!  Help!  Help!” shrieked the little frogs in their little shrill voices.

“Help!  Help!  Help!” croaked the great frogs in their great hoarse voices.

The little frogs sobbed and moaned, and wiped the tears from their little bulgy eyes with their little, flat, green hands; the great frogs sobbed and moaned, and wiped the tears from their great bulgy eyes with their great, flat, green hands.  Altogether they raised such a noise and commotion that every creature in the pond poked his nose from his house and came out to see what could be the matter.

At last a great, friendly fish, who, with his wife and children, was summering in a quiet corner of the pond, swam up to find what all the noise was about.  When he saw poor Froggy struggling to free himself (feebly now, for his strength was nearly gone) with all his friends and relations sitting by, sobbing and moaning and croaking, but not trying to help him out at all, the fish flew into a terrible rage, and, lashing the water all around into a white foam with his great tail, he cried: 

“Pull him out!  Pull him out!”

But the little frogs only wiped the tears from their little bulgy eyes with their little, flat, green hands and went on with their piping:  “Oh-he’ll-die!  Oh-he’ll-die!  Oh-he’ll-die!”

The great frogs only wiped the tears from their great bulgy eyes with their great, flat, green hands and went on with their croaking:  “Oh-he’ll-drown!  Oh-he’ll-drown!  Oh-he’ll-drown!”

“You stupids!” cried the great fish; and, pushing the little frogs and the big frogs all to the right and left with his huge body, he swam to little drowning Froggy, seized the poor little fellow in his big mouth and carried him safely to his home by the shore.  There the great fish left Froggy, to be cuddled by his silly brothers and to be crooned over by his good but stupid mother.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD TO GRANDFATHER GOODFIELD’S.

“Oh, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder,” said Alice, as she trudged along the dusty road, a bright tin pail held tightly in her hand.  “Why do you wonder, little maid?” said a deep, deep voice.  On looking up, Alice saw close beside her a great tawny lion.  At first she was afraid, but the great beast looking kindly upon her, placed his great paw softly on her arm and once more said, “why do you wonder, Alice?”